WASHINGTON (AP) — Women are far more likely than men to get autoimmune diseases, when an out-of-whack immune system attacks their own bodies — and new research may finally explain why.
One theory is that the X chromosome might be a culprit.
The X chromosome is packed with hundreds of genes, far more than males’ much smaller Y chromosome.
Every female cell must switch off one of its X chromosome copies, to avoid getting a toxic double dose of all those genes.
“We think that’s really important, for Xist RNA to leak out of the cell to where the immune system gets to see it.
Persons:
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Organizations:
WASHINGTON, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Associated Press ’ Health, Science Department, Associated Press Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP